Household pets, such as cats and dogs, regularly shed their hair. Pets that spend a significant period of time outdoors typically shed in the spring and fall, whereas indoor pets can shed all year round. Pet hair can accumulate on rugs, carpets, furniture, clothing, and hard surfaces. The problem increases when the owner has multiple pets in the home. Additionally, excess hair can cause hairballs, especially in cats, when the pet grooms itself and swallows hair.
Various devices have been disclosed for automatically grooming a pet and collecting shed hair, when the pet passes through a portal. Barmakian, U.S. Pat. No. 4,938,169 discloses the use of one or two panels covered with grooming bristles, placed in an opening in a wall or door, which groom the pet as it traverses the opening. Markowitz, U.S. Pat. No. 5,842,206 discloses a litter box having bristles surrounding the opening, to groom the coat of a pet. Messmer, U.S. Pat. No. 5,842,438 disclosed a feline litter box, which contains a grooming disk in the portal. The surface of the grooming disk is covered with raised ribs to remove and collect hair. Markowitz, U.S. Pat. No. 6,698,384 B2 discloses a feeding and litter box apparatus that contains an adjustable grooming brush assembly mounted in the portal.
An enclosure may be provided for a pet having an interior portion lined with a material to attract and collect pet hair. Zoroufy, U.S. Pat. No. 5,351,646 discloses a cylindrical device lined with a material having raised rubberized protuberances. Udelle et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,579,720 disclose an enclosure for pets lined with a sheet of plastic or carpeting or other suitable material having bristles to remove and collect loose pet hair. Haaf, US Patent Application 2012/0137984 A1 discloses a grooming tunnel, which may be lined with unwoven polyester fibers or directional microfibers capable of providing a grooming action on a pet traversing the tunnel.
Despite the proliferation of pet grooming devices, shortcomings remain. Grooming assemblies employing wire, plastic or rubberized bristles can be expensive to manufacture. Furthermore, devices that rely on stiff bristles to remove pet hair can irritate a pet's skin. Pet hair that collects on the grooming assemblies can transfer back to the pet, for example, as a result of static electrical charges or wet fur. Additionally, the grooming devices must be manually cleaned on a regular basis. Even with regular cleaning, devices employing a fibrous substrate, such as carpeting, may harbor flea eggs, mites and the like.
Thus, a need persists for a pet grooming device that is economical to manufacture, removes and retains loose pet hair, without being unpleasant for the pet, and incorporates a disposable grooming disc that can be periodically replaced.